Spied in the Wild! 2017 Subaru Impreza Hatchback

There are three important milestones during a car’s introduction to the world: camouflaged spy shots of the vehicle testing on public roads, the car’s official debut (usually at an auto show), and perhaps the most important, seeing it in the wild undisguised for the first time.

Why is the last one so important, you might ask? It’s because it’s the first time we have a chance to see a new car as it will appear in its element. At an auto show, manufacturers can position lighting and props to make the car sexier than it really is but on public roads, they have no power to control how people view a new vehicle. Here we have the 2017 Subaru Impreza hatchback seen completely naked in the Rocky Mountains. In this case, I’d have to say Subaru needs no help from special lighting or other visual aids. The car is better looking than the one it replaces by leaps and bounds.

The new Impreza is due late 2016 – just in time to test the AWD system in the snow and ice. Height has been dropped by about half an inch on both the new sedan and hatchback. Length has been increased by 1.6 inches (one inch thanks to a longer wheelbase) and width by 1.5 inches.

The 2.0-liter boxer engine has been slightly modified to squeeze out four additional horsepower, bringing the maximum to 152. It’s assumed the 5-speed manual will carry over on base models, although it was not confirmed during the car’s debut at the 2016 New York Auto Show. A CVT with a 7-speed manual mode will be found on a majority of Imprezas sold in the U.S.

Until we can (hopefully) get one of these cars to review, check out another popular – and more powerful – hatch, the 2016 VW Golf R.

Brian is an engineer by trade but his true passion is anything automotive. He wakes up every morning to search the web for the latest industry news. He enjoys taking his Tacoma 4×4 off-road in the mountains of Colorado where he spends his free time hiking, biking, and snowboarding with his wife and dogs near their Rocky Mountain home.